Hungarian Nut Strudel!

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The Nut Roll is a traditional Hungarian pastry that is a sweet bread known as Beigli. Eva Kenly, my mentor for 20+ years, made her Beigli or Hungarian Nut Roll usually during the holidays of Christmas and Thanksgiving. Beigli [pronounced BAY-glee] is really a Hungarian sweet bread with special fillings. It is the filling that makes this nut roll pastry so tasty and nutty! My favorite nut roll fillings include chopped walnuts or chopped pecans.

JJ's tips for hosting a dinner party at home!

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JJ's Tips for Hosting a Dinner Party at Home

Sweet One and TT are hosting a large party tomorrow, so, I thought this a great time to put together some tips. They are hosting 25 neighbors and a couple of relatives....Wee Bear and I! Nate Dogg and Tink are hoping to stop in for a German beer in small kegs later in the evening.

Hosting a dinner party doesn't have to be a huge and intimidating undertaking. With the right preparation and attitude, even the least experienced cook can host a fantastic event. Here are a few tips that will help give you confidence to pull off a fun dinner party with gusto!  

Easy Banana Bread!

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 What do you do with all those over ripe bananas? I usually make up a batch of my yummy homemade granola (March 11, 2012 blog) or when I had children living at home, I made banana bread. The kids would come running through the door after school to a house filled with the aroma of this delicious banana bread. They would gobble down a couple of slices, and off they would go to play in the back yard. I have several versions of this recipe............mostly changing the type of nut. Feel free to use any nut or none at all!! In the Winter, I add pecans or even chocolate chips, for a heavier feel. I like all types of nuts, so each time I make it, it is different, depending on the flavor profile I am looking for or what I have on hand.

Veal Scallops with Angel hair pasta and Gorgonzola Sauce!

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Veal Scallops with Gorgonzola sauce served with angel hair pasta is Wee Bears....I cry Uncle dinner! If I'm in the dog house, I serve this and I'm out and running again!! It combines three of his favorites, veal, pasta and Gorgonzola. This not only a good choice now, but an excellent choice during the Winter. If you don't care for veal, try it with pork cutlets, beef steak or even a thick slice of egg plant sauteed.....mmmmmm!

Veal is quick to cook, so this is a good recipe for a quick mid week dinner or a elegant weekend dinner party. Everything can be done in less than 45 minutes.

Honey-Roasted Onion Tart

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I came across this recipe while flipping through the February issue of Bonappetit magazine. I know...I know, I'm a little behind on my magazines. It literally takes me a week or so to get through one magazine. I will read a few pages and then something distracts me and I walk away from it. I'm terrible! This past week my husband was on a business trip so instead of watching television before bed as we usually do, I decided I would catch up on my reading. 

This tart looked so good, and easy that I felt I needed to make it and share with you all! The recipe in Bonappetit says it makes 6 appetizer servings, but I think they are very generous servings. You could get away with slicing smaller pieces and they would still be pretty sizable. I made a few revisions to the recipe which I have noted below.

Lobster Rolls!

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How to make the best Lobster Rolls!

An old favorite! Beef Stroganoff!

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Perfect for Fall! Quick and easy to make!

Beef Stroganoff was created by a chef working for a Russian general, Count Pavel Stroganov, in the 1890s. It became popular in the U.S. in the 1950s from servicemen returning from Europe and China after WWII. Beef Stroganoff is basically tender strips of beef and mushrooms cooked in a sour cream sauce and served over noodles, rice, or even French fries. You will want to make this with a tender cut of beef, such as tenderloin or top sirloin. For a quick version you can use ground beef instead of beef strips. You can also easily substitute yogurt for sour cream and leave out the mushrooms entirely. 

Wee Bear and I share a lot of meals when we go out..... yes, we decided we could do this now, as we are older!! We tip more, so the waiter still gets compensated for giving us good service, but, we share! The other night we had Chateaubriand for two, way too much food for us. We were served six slices of tenderloin and we each ate one!! Wee Bear says, "Aren't you going to eat anymore than that?" I said, " No, I can't eat any more! But, I know what to do, we will take it home!" I got an eye roll on that one!! But, here is what I did! Actually, I have made this many, many times over the years, because this is the simplest recipe I have in the stroganoff category.....and I think you will love it! Perfect for a mid week meal!